Hello!
I just completed the online training for Big Thunder, and I was wondering if someone could help me in person.
I am building a kimono and hakama from scratch. I have an A0 size for both items in a pdf file as well as the printed papers. Are the lasers big enough to cut something as large as 41 in x 47 in (hakama) and 32 in x 46 in (kimono)?
Additionally, I’d like to cut this design on cotton, but that is not listed in the allowed materials. Is cotton okay?
You’ll need to do power (i.e., settings) tests on fabric scraps in all four corners and choose the setting that cuts through in all four locations unless you don’t mind following up with a scissors where it’s not cut completely through.
great question. I hope you can get someone to help walk you through the first time. I would like to participate, if hanging out as an observer is possible. I’ve completed the online training also, but have not run it through in person.
I’m going to tag in someone I know has used the lasers for fabric before in case they have any tips to pass your way. Sounds like a great project, best of luck!
A few things:
So, yes big thunder can cut cotton, I don’t know if it is up, and there are a few other design challenges to overcome, but they are do-able.
P.P.S: Over in creative arts, we DO have cutting mats that large, and 60’ rulers, and large tables! You can lay out your fabric. Hakama/Kimono are made with straight seams and should be easy to cut by hand. I can help in that dept. too!
Was the Big Thunder up? Recall a thread not to long ago about issues with the machines needing maintenance but I can’t find it or if there was a resolution.
Really been wanting to come in to use them but they have been down for a while.
The camera shows it with a purple cone on top of it, signifying that it is down.
FWIW, not all committees use cones. Cone color is a committee choice.
It works, but it isn’t aligned quite right, so it doesn’t etch evenly.
But is it okay for cutting fabric reliably?
Maybe?
The issue is mostly that since the lower right corner doesn’t get the same power. Is the upper left, for cutting through things like wood? You end up needing to bump the power so much that you damage the bed in the upper left.
Something like a thin fabric should be so easy to go through that it won’t matter, but…id test first.
I’m hoping to get up there later today or tomorrow and realign the thing, however, that’s mostly assuming that that is in fact the issue.
This is a frequent issue when cutting large fabric. If the fabric is large because it has a lot of small pieces on it, then the solution is to cut in smaller “batches”. If the fabric is large because it has some very large pieces, then you get pieces that aren’t quite separated in that corner. However, since it’s so easy to hand cut any parts of the fabric that aren’t quite separated I haven’t found it to be a problem.
I’m willing to accept a 95% solution for the time savings of not cutting the whole thing by hand.
Chris Marlow (aka John_Marlow) is the queen of cutting fabric on the lasers. She cuts quilt/applique pieces fairly regularly.
If the pieces are large (more than a few inches per side), you usually don’t have to do anything unless the entire large fabric flaps. If that happens, all that’s needed is weighting or taping a couple places on the perimeter of the fabric.
If the pieces are small (less than a few inches per side) then I put “tabs” in the cut; i.e., interrupt the vector for 1/32" so that the piece doesn’t completely separate from the fabric. This also anchors pieces so they don’t flap. I sometimes do this if I have long parallel(ish) cuts that are close together so that the head doesn’t get caught on an adjacent piece when it’s cutting.
If you’re making an appliqué, you can iron the fusible backing onto the fabric before laser cutting.
